Our chapter of the American Constitution Society stands firmly in solidarity with the Black community as well as the Black Lives Matter movement. We send our condolences to the families and loved ones of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all other people who have been victimized by police brutality and racial violence. We recognize how these problems are the result of systemic racism, and want to take a moment to remind everyone how they have the power to contribute to positively changing the status quo.

If you have the means, we encourage you to donate to some of the many good causes that support the Black community and the ongoing protests against police brutality and systemic racism. These include, but are not limited to, the GoFundMe pages for victims of police brutality, the various bail funds throughout the country, and nonprofit law firms providing legal support for protesters.

We also encourage donating your time in whatever way suits you best. Some ways to do this include, but are not limited to, volunteering with community organizations whose mission it is to advocate for positive change and contacting your legislators at the federal, state, and local level to voice your support for changing laws to better protect people’s lives and promote police accountability.

The national organization for ACS has released its own statement, with direct links to specific ways that you can get involved. Here is the link: https://www.acslaw.org/press_release/statement-of-russ-feingold-president-and-zinelle-october-executive-vice-president-american-constitution-society/.

National ACS is also hosting a virtual event about institutional racism today, June 5, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Here is the registration link: https://www.acslaw.org/event/a-history-of-violence-institutional-racism-in-our-criminal-legal-system/.

If you have any questions, please email Kasper Dworzanczyk at kvd23@cornell.edu.

Sincerely,

American Constitution Society

Cornell Law School Chapter